Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking (41 page)

A physiological peculiarity I’ve inherited from my mother and grandmother is an inability to sleep without eating a starchy snack in the evening. If I’ve been out and haven’t eaten enough starchy foods at dinner, I come home ravenous and in need of a midnight feast. In these circumstances, my top two choices for a nibble are melted cheese on toast and spicy Sichuanese noodles. The exact noodle recipe is different each time: sometimes I desire more chilli oil; in hot weather I might add more refreshing vinegar. Here, anyway, is one version, but feel free to improvise. I also eat these noodles for breakfast or lunch with a fried egg or two on top.

This recipe serves two people.

7 oz (200g) Chinese dried wheat or buckwheat noodles, or 11 oz (300g) fresh noodles

2 spring onions, greens part only, finely sliced

For the sauce

3–4 tbsp tamari soy sauce

2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar

4 tbsp chilli oil with its sediment

1 tsp sesame oil

Optional extras

An egg or two for each person

Spoonful of “olive” vegetable

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a serving bowl.

Cook the noodles. Rinse, drain and put in the serving bowl. Scatter with the spring onions. Mix well before eating.

If desired, top with eggs, fried on both sides, and a spoonful of “olive” vegetable, as shown in the photograph.

DUMPLINGS

The English word “dumpling”—used as a blanket term for everything from the balls of dough cooked in European stews to an ethereal Cantonese steamed titbit in the shape of a goldfish—doesn’t do justice to the astonishing wealth of little buns and pastries eaten in China. A Cantonese dim sum menu may hint at the possibilities of this splendid side of Chinese food culture, with its translucent steamed dumplings pinched into pretty shapes and its slithery sheets of rice paste wrapped about juicy shrimp, but the Cantonese south is just one region of China. Every part of this vast country has its own tradition of “small eats” (
xiao chi
) and the dainty pastries known as
dian xin
, (literally “touch the heart”), made with wheat, rice and other starches, which can be stuffed or wrapped, then steamed, baked, deep-fried, pan-fried or boiled. One single restaurant in the old northern capital Xi’an, home of the terracotta army, serves 300 different kinds of dumpling!

Of course many of these pastries are very difficult to make and are served mainly in specializt restaurants. Yet dumplings are also part of home cooking, especially in northern China, where a family get-together to wrap and eat boiled crescent dumplings (
shui jiao
) is a traditional part of New Year celebrations. In this chapter I’ve brought together a few classic recipes that are not too difficult and are extremely rewarding. These snacks are also great fun to make and eat as a team effort with friends or family. The resulting dumplings can be served as an appetizer, a snack or—in the case of the wontons and Northern boiled dumplings—a main meal.

SICHUANESE WONTONS IN CHILLI OIL SAUCE
HONG YOU CHAO SHOU 紅油抄手

Of all Chinese dumplings, wontons are the simplest to make, if you buy ready-made wrappers. They cook in minutes and have a delightfully slippery mouthfeel. In Sichuan, the source of this recipe, they are known as “folded arms” (
chao shou
). Some say this is because the raw dumplings look like the folded arms of a person sitting back in relaxation; others that it’s because of the way they are wrapped, with one corner crossed over the other and the two pinched together. The basic wontons can be served in a host of different ways and this Chengdu version is one of my favorites, with its sumptuous, heart-warming sauce.

Wonton skins can be bought fresh or frozen in most Chinese food shops; they should be very thin and supple. If you want to take the easiest option in wrapping the dumplings, you can simply fold them in half, on the diagonal, to make a triangle. Otherwise, wrap into the classic “water caltrop” shape (tap
here
), as professional cooks and market vendors do across China. (The water caltrop is an exotic-looking aquatic nut with a pair of horns.) This recipe makes 15–20, enough for four as an appetizer, or two for lunch. If you use fresh ingredients and make more than you need, the surplus can be frozen and cooked straight from the freezer.

½ oz (20g) piece of ginger, unpeeled

5 oz (150g) ground pork

½ egg, beaten

1 tsp Shaoxing wine

½ tsp sesame oil

Salt

Ground white pepper

3 tbsp chicken stock

3 tbsp finely sliced spring onion greens

7 oz (200g) package of wonton wrappers

Flour, to dust

To serve

3–4 tbsp
sweet aromatic soy sauce
, or 3–4 tbsp light or tamari soy sauce with 1½–2 tsp sugar

5–6 tbsp chilli oil, with its sediment

2–4 heaped tsp crushed garlic

2 tbsp finely sliced spring onion greens

Crush the ginger with the flat of a cleaver or a rolling pin and put it in a cup with just enough cold water to cover. Place the pork, egg, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil in a bowl with 1½ tsp of the ginger water and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Mix in the stock, 1 tbsp at a time. Finally, add the spring onion greens.

Fill a small bowl with cold water. Take a wonton wrapper and lay it flat in one hand. Use a table knife or a small spatula to press about 1 tsp of the pork mixture into the center of the wrapper. Dip a finger into the cold water, run it around the edges of the wrapper and fold it diagonally in half. Press the edges tightly together and lay on a flour-dusted tray or large plate. (If you want to make a “water caltrop” shape, please see the
photos
.)

Bring a large pan of water to a boil over a high heat. While you are waiting for the water to boil, prepare three or four serving bowls. In each bowl, place 1 tbsp sweet aromatic soy sauce (or 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce and ½ tsp sugar), 1½ tbsp chilli oil with sediment and ½–1 heaped tsp of crushed garlic, to taste.

When the water has come to a boil, drop in the wontons. Stir gently to make sure they do not stick together. When the water returns to a rolling boil, pour in a small cup of cold water to calm it down. Repeat this one more time. When the water has come to a boil for the third time, the wontons should be cooked through (cut one open to make sure). Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon, drain well, and divide between the prepared serving bowls. Scatter each bowl with some of the spring onion greens. Serve immediately, stirring everything together before digging in.

TO FORM “WATER CALTROP” WONTONS

If you are right-handed, lay a wonton wrapper in the palm of your left hand and use a table knife or bamboo spatula to press about 1 tbsp filling into the center of the wrapper.

Fold the wrapper in half so the opposite corners meet.

Smear a little more of the filling on to one corner of the triangle you have made. Using both hands, gently squeeze the edges of the dumpling as you bring the two corners together.

Lay the dry corner on to the corner that has been moistened by the filling, and press firmly together to seal the dumpling.

Place the finished dumplings on a flour-dusted plate or tray.

For an easier method, simply fold the wrapper in half over the stuffing, bringing the opposite corners together and pressing firmly all around the edges, as in the recipe method
here
.

HANGZHOU WONTONS IN SOUP
XIAN ROU XIAO HUN TUN 鹹肉小餛飩

The West Lake of Hangzhou is dreamily beautiful in any season. On wet spring days the banks are lush and green, weeping with willows, and the islands and distant shores dissolve in the mist. In summer, the glittering surface of the lake is criss-crossed by wooden boats, and the golden pinnacle of the Lei Feng tower gleams in the sun. The city is known for the elegance and refinement of its cooking, and this popular snack, though easy to make, is a lovely example of Hangzhou cuisine. The slippery wontons are served in a broth all floaty with shrimp, seaweed and spring onions: refreshing and soothing at the same time.

This recipe serves four as a snack or appetizer, two for breakfast or lunch.

One quantity of wontons (tap
here
), stuffed and wrapped

To serve

1 egg

A little cooking oil

3–4 cups (750ml–1 liter) clear stock

1–2 tbsp papery dried shrimp

4–8 tbsp finely sliced spring onion greens

2 tsp cooking oil or lard

Salt

Ground white pepper

4 good pinches of dried laver seaweed

Beat the egg in a small bowl. Heat an oiled frying pan over a high heat, then allow to cool slightly before adding a little fresh cooking oil. Pour in the egg and swirl it around to form a thin yellow pancake. When it is just cooked but not browned, remove it from the pan. When cool, cut it into ⅛ in (½cm) ribbons.

Bring a large pan of water to a boil over a high heat. Bring the stock to a boil in another saucepan and keep it hot. Prepare your serving bowls: in each of four bowls place a generous pinch of dried shrimp, 1–2 tbsp sliced spring onion greens, ½ tsp oil or lard, and salt and pepper to taste. Break the laver seaweed into small pieces and distribute it among the bowls. (If you are cooking for two, redistribute the seasonings into two bowls accordingly.)